


The Bus

by fakeboi



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, One Shot, arthur needs help, the tick wants to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 20:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11952444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fakeboi/pseuds/fakeboi
Summary: Arthur tried to take the bus to a dentist appointment, and now he's lost. The Tick shows up to lend him a hand. Or two hands. The Tick is pretty sure that's the amount of hands he has, and he would like to give it his all.





	The Bus

The nightmare went like this: Arthur was lifting the citizens out of the bus, until suddenly the lights went out. The sky went out. He heard the Terror's grizzled laughter, and the bus folded like an accordion, crushing everyone inside of it (including him). Then he woke up. Arthur was afraid of the City bus. He started taking it in middle school with Dot, until she got her license. Sometimes she drove him, sometimes she picked him up when he got lost. Arthur paced in front of a bus stop bench at a terminal. It was the end of the line, and he still hadn't gotten where he was going. 

The sidewalk was damp and slushy, even though it hadn't really snowed all winter. Arthur was still cold; he had lost his gloves. He searched the glaring headlights of the cars passing through the humid dimness. One had to be the bus going the right way, didn't it? Didn't it? He would probably be able to make it home, although certainly not to his dentist's appointment. A teal Uber SUV sped up to him, drenching his shoes and the cuffs of his pants with cloudy water. The driver looked at him quizzically, and started to roll down her window, but Arthur shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, unsure if she could hear him, "I have no money on me!" He looked down at his feet, and realized that he was rocking back and forth. He remembered hugging his knees to his chest and shaking on a bus bench just like the one he stood in front of. Banging his head against it and crying. His eyes burned. 

"I'm a grown man," said Arthur to nobody. He sighed, and sat down on the bench. The seat of his pants got wet. He didn't feel like a grown man. He felt more like a child that had gotten taller, sadder, and stranger, for reasons he didn't fully comprehend. Arthur looked up again, hoping to see the bus. He did not see the bus. What he did see was a blue dot in the middle distance, which progressively got larger. Soon, the blue dot grew large enough for him to see and hear that it was The Tick. 

"Arthur! Hello out there!" said The Tick. Arthur fixed an uncomfortable smile onto the lower half of his face, and waved vigorously. The Tick advanced towards him. 

"Yes, hi. It's uh, nice to see you!" said Arthur. The Tick advanced some more.

"How, how did you get here?" asked Arthur. The Tick clapped Arthur on the back. 

"I sensed a citizen in need, and came to his aid! Think of me as a vital supply train, careening straight towards you!" said The Tick. Arthur scooted away from The Tick, to the other end of the bench. The Tick followed him.

"I'd really rather not," said Arthur, who wasn't even pretending to smile anymore. The Tick didn't seem to notice.

"So what's the problem, chum?" he asked. 

"Oh," said Arthur, "I'm just at the wrong bus stop." The Tick was about to speak, but Arthur quieted him by pointing an accusing finger.

"And before you say that there are no wrong bus stops, and destiny has its ways, or... something like that, let me tell you!" Arthur said, "There are definitely wrong bus stops! I was supposed to be at one that'd take me to the dentist's, and now I'm not, and this happens every single time because I'm too stupid to ride the bus and I won't be allowed to use public transportation if Mom and Dot find out how I--" 

"Arthur!" The Tick boomed, "You're not stupid at all! Why, you're so intelligent that sometimes your head seems downright oversized on your diminutive body! You're a brilliant man, and brilliant people are frequently distracted and prone to mistakes. Why, even Einstein couldn't use a fork until he was twenty-two!"

"Thank you, but-- okay, the Einstein thing is definitely not right. Anyway, Tick, you don't know how to get back to my house any better than I do. It's nice of you to show up, though," said Arthur. 

"No, no, there has to be a way to get you home. What if we ask another citizen of this fair City? Utilize Arthur's good ol' brain and voicebox!" said The Tick. Arthur blanched. 

"I don't think that's a good idea, Tick. See, I'm not a fan of talking to strangers. Most people aren't," he said. 

"Nonsense!" said The Tick. He fixed his eyes on a passerby with a large, banana-yellow handbag.

"M'am, that is an absolutely beautiful purse you have there!" he shouted. Arthur grimaced, and looked away. The woman with the handbag smiled, and gave Tick the thumbs up.

"See? It was easy, it went perfectly well!" said The Tick.

"Easy for you, maybe, not easy for me," Arthur replied. The Tick's face fell for a moment, but then recognition dawned in his eyes.

"Ah! I understand! I'm a superhero, and as you are a sidekick, we don't share all of the same abilities! You have your strengths, such as excellent deduction, and I have mine, such as punching, shouting, and making delicious bagel mini-pizzas," he said. Arthur nodded slowly.

"That... is one way to put it, actually," he said. The Tick took Arthur's hand, and pulled Arthur to his feet. Then, he pulled him through the freezing wind at remarkable speeds. Arthur could feel the skin around his mouth rippling as if he were an astronaut taking off. He wanted to ask where they were going, but it came out as a loud, high-pitched scream. It was the third time that week that he'd had such an experience. The Tick came to a sudden halt, and Arthur's shoes screeched against the concrete, which was dry and underneath an awning. When The Tick dropped his hand, Arthur stepped back to read the awning.

"Mr. McBean's Coffee?" he said. The awning was striped pink-and-orange, and the busy, cozy little shop glowed through the fog.

"Apparently so," The Tick replied. They went inside, and a little bell rang as the door opened and shut. The cashier noticed them, and waved. His name tag said Keith.

"Hey, it's The Tick! I used to let this guy sleep in one of these armchairs at night, and now he's famous!" Keith said.

"You what?" said Arthur.

"I'd like some directions for my friend here," said The Tick. The cashier nodded, and waved him to the front of the line.

"On the house. Wait, directions? To where?" Keith asked. 

"To my friend's house," said The Tick. He pointed into the middle distance. 

"It might be that way," said The Tick, "but it also might not be!" Keith nodded sagely.

"I see. Who's your friend?" hed said. Arthur cast around the coffee shop for ideas, and his eyes landed on a bag of robusta coffee beans.

"Robusta! I mean Robert. Yes. My name is Robert," he said. 

"Well, Robert, you'll have to tell me where it is you live," said Keith. Arthur ran his hand through his hair and looked at the ground. He wasn't sure where he was or what to do. It was the fifth time that week that he'd had such an experience. 

"Arthur," said The Tick (Arthur sighed), "I mean Robert! You don't look so well. You sit down, and I'll get us both some delicious, steaming hot cocoas." The Tick pulled a wad of cash out of the side of his mask. Arthur's mouth fell open.

"We could've called a taxi any time! Where did you get that?" Arthur asked.

"I found it under your mattress," said The Tick. Arthur slapped his palm onto his face.

"Oh my god," he said. Keith smiled.

"Two hot cocoas on the house for the both of you. The City thanks you for saving that bus," he said. The Tick grinned, and elbowed Arthur in the side.

"See? It pays to talk to strangers!" he said. Arthur crossed his arms.

"You were a stranger when I talked to you, and now you've stolen money from my apartment," he said. The Tick shrugged.

"Clamato, sonata. Maybe we're both right," he said. Arthur called a taxi.


End file.
